Del Rey started playing guitar when she was four. At the age of thirteen she was introduced to the world of traditional acoustic music, when she and a friend stumbled into a concert at Folk Arts Rare Records in San Diego. About 20 people were sitting on the floor under the record bins listening to a kid named Tom Waits play his original songs.

Lou Curtiss, proprietor of Folk Arts and artistic director of the San Diego Folk Festival suggested she quit wasting her time playing “Stairway to Heaven” and listen to some Memphis Minnie. He put her on stage with Sam Chatmon when she was fourteen, and introduced her to Lydia Mendoza and Howard Armstrong. Lou gave Del recordings that still influence everything she does on solo acoustic guitar. Del soaked up country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie. It was a musical education hanging around the record shop.

Thirty years later, Del became fascinated with the ukulele. She tries to play the same kind of complicated rhythmic blues and ragtime on four strings as on six. She expects a lot out of the little instrument.

Del plays solo concerts world wide and also presents a concert/lecture on women musicians called Women In American Music. She also collaborates and tours frequently with guitarist Steve James, Suzy Thompson and Adam Franklin.

Del has contributed to projects in honor of The Mississippi Sheiks, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Johnny Cash. She occasionally writes about music for various publications, including Acoustic Guitar.

Her latest full-length album, featuring Suzy Thompson, Matt Weiner and Hans Teuber is Art Walk. She also has a recent ukulele and guitar duet sampler out with Adam Franklin called Rocket Red and Ruby Chard.